


A Simple Sunday Afternoon

by ZombieStar



Category: Yes! Precure 5 gogo!, Yes! Precure 5!, YuYu Hakusho, pretty cure, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, One Shot, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 15:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6085734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieStar/pseuds/ZombieStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sunday was supposed to be a lazy one- go to Natts House, hang out with friends, design jewelry. However, when Rin gets a frantic call from Kurumi about a delayed shipment, she has to put her plans for peace and quiet on hold. But hey, it's just a short trip to Mushiyori city- it's not like she has to fight an abomination literally from hell or anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Simple Sunday Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place roughly a few months after Yes! Gogo! and about a week after the Dark Tournament arc. I was unable to find the name of the city Yuusuke and everyone lived in (although I guess you're supposed to assume it's Tokyo) so I smashed it into the only named city in the anime. 
> 
> The Yes! Cures' home town didn't have a name, as far as I could find, so I went with the name of the school. Even came up with a little bit of a story to explain why it doesn't look like anywhere else in Japan. 
> 
> I don't know why I wrote this. I mean I don't regret it, but I don't know why this pairing is now firmly entrenched in my head. Enjoy, I suppose.

Rin Natsuki was having a bad day.

To start with, her lazy Sunday afternoon was quickly spiraling out of control. Her parents were able to mind the shop and Yu and Ai all day, so she had off. It was summer vacation, or the tail end of it, so there wasn’t any homework to be done. She had planned to go to Natts house and spend the day going over new accessory designs with Natts and talking with the girls. All in all it was a simple but highly enjoyable plan for her day.

This had been swiftly derailed when a frantic Kurumi had called (on the Curemo, no less) and practically begged her to run a ‘small’ errand for her.

“Rin, _please!_ It’s an emergency!” Kurumi said.

“I got that, but I kinda need to know what the hell I’m supposed to be doing?” Rin said, trying not to sound _too_ aggravated at the situation.

“Kurumi, Syrup needs help in the kitchen,” Natts’ even tone came from the other end of the line.

“Wha- oh that idiot! I told him that the stew isn’t going to be ready for- thank you, Natts-sama!” Kurumi hastily got up and brushed some non-existent dust from her pants. “I was just asking Rin to-“

“I’ll handle it, Kurumi," Natts said. A second later his face appeared on the screen. “Hello, Rin.”

“Hey, Natts. Thanks for that," Rin said, “I thought she was going to have a heart attack.”

“She’s making a mountain out of a molehill," Natts said, “I hate to ask, but could you please make a stop to Mushiyori city for us? Some accessories that we ordered got caught up at the post office. Usually I’d send someone here, but it’s been busy and I need the help. I’ll pay you back, of course.”

Rin sighed and grabbed a piece of paper. “Fine, fine. What’s the address?”

She hastily scribbled the information Natts gave her down on the paper.

“Feel free to get yourself something as well," Natts said, “As my way of saying thanks.”

“Well, if you insist," Rin grinned. Shouting started to rise up from the kitchen. “I think you’ve got to go.”

“Looks like it," Natts sighed. “If the house is still standing when you get here it’ll be a miracle.”

“See you later.”  
\---  
Mushiyori city, as it turned out, was a lot nicer than its name implied. There were no swarms of bugs- although Rin had seen one or two strange ones since arriving. Thankfully there hadn’t been any on the bus she had taken in. The streets were much different from Cinq Lumiere’s, however. Rin’s hometown had started life as a small french settlement and quickly turned into a high-brow tourist trap, so the streets and atmosphere were much different than any other city in Japan. While Rin loved living there, it did have a way of making her feel strangely out of place when she visited neighboring cities.

She sighed and tried not to look to uncomfortable as she passed yet another gang of students loitering in an alleyway. How many gangs could one city produce? 

Thankfully they had left her alone, so far, but she was starting to think she should have invited someone else to come with her, just so she wouldn’t feel so exposed.

“Just get the job done and go home," she muttered. “Let’s see…” Rin studied the paper closely, trying to decipher her own sloppy handwriting. “Looks like if I turn right up ahead-“

She was so engrossed in the directions that she didn’t even notice the red-haired boy until she bumped into his back.

“Oof!”

“Oh my go- I’m so sorry!” Rin backed away and bowed deeply, her face bright red. “I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

“It’s fine, really," the boy said, a bit of a laugh creeping into his voice. “I wasn’t watching where I was going either.”

He didn’t sound angry. In fact his tone seemed to be relatively light. Rin risked looking up- and was immediately glad her face was already red.

He was cute. Really, _really_ cute. Like ‘give him a few years and he’ll probably be a top model’ cute. He had long, spiky red hair that reached just past his elbows and green almond shaped eyes that were sparkling at her.

Rin straightened up hastily and tried to smooth her clothes. The boy bent down and picked up something from the ground. He smelled like roses.

“You dropped this," he handed her back her instructions.

“O-oh! Thank you!” Rin hugged the paper to her chest. “I’d be lost without this.”

“You aren’t from around here, are you?” he said.

“No, I’m uh… I’m running an errand for a friend," she said.

“Do you need help getting there?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine," Rin said, backing away. “T-thank you! And sorry again!”

Rin took off like a bolt down the street. Her face was so hot with shame that she was sure she was trailing a cloud of steam. Behind her, the red-headed boy watched her go, a confused look on his face.

The paper smelled like roses, just like him.  
\---

She ran for three blocks before she finally felt she was far enough away from the scene of the crime to curl up and die of embarrassment.

“Run an errand, they said," she muttered, glaring at the paper. “It’ll be easy, they said. Natts is going to be buying me so many freaking beads. Now where the hell am I?”

She glanced around, trying to get her bearings. None of the streets matched her guide, and she wasn’t even sure which way she had run. She growled and crumpled the instructions in her hands. 

“All I wanted today was make a bracelet or two!” she screamed. “Was that so much to ask!? Where the heck-“

“-did that thing go?” a gravelly voice said behind her.

A gravelly voice that she recognized a little too well.

She turned around to see a familiar figure walking towards her, an anxious expression on his face. Bunbee looked pretty much the same as last time, although now he was sporting a jacket with some logo she didn’t recognize. He hadn't spotted her yet- but judging from the way his eyes were darting around the street it wouldn’t be long-

“Ah- Pretty cure!” Bunbee’s face actually lit up when he saw her.

She wasn’t sure how she was going to get used to not being enemies. Even now her Curemo hand was itching to grab the thing and transform. Beating something’s head into the sidewalk would be a perfect way to release some of this stress.

“Shhhh!!” Rin glared at him. “It’s Rin! Rin Natuski!”

“R-right. Sorry about that," Bunbee rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly, “Old habits die hard.”

Her hand twitched again longingly and she sighed.

“I know what you mean," she said. “What are you doing out here?”

Sudden realization crossed his face. He lunged at her and grabbed her shoulders.

That hand was getting really insistent now.

She would have pushed him off and proceeded to give him a taste of the pavement if he hadn’t looked so panicked. She’d never seen him like this before- at least that she could remember.

“You have to help me!” he said. “I’ve lost it!”

“Lost what!?” Rin said, her voice quickly rising to match his. “And let go!”

She shoved him off. Rin was not very touchy-feely on the best of days (not that that ever deterred Nozomi) and being grabbed by someone who was their enemy until a few short months ago was not helping with that.

“I’ve lost it!” Bunbee said. “I just put it down for one second-“

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?”

“A hoshina!”

Rin’s blood froze. She stared at him, her jaw hanging open slightly and tried to comprehend what just happened.

“What?”

“I have a job here- kinda, anyway- this guy wanted to see some ‘paranormal’ items and I had a few of those cores left over so I thought I’d pawn them off.”

“You… were going to sell giant angry monsters to some jerk in a chatroom!?”

She was having to physically hold her curemo hand down now. 

“They’re harmless!” he said. “Ever since you- ever since _that_ they’ve lost their power! And besides, even if they were still alive somehow, you need to pump a certain amount of power into the damn things to get them to activate! To a normal person they’re just creepy looking oranges!”

Rin relaxed a little. “Okay, so why are you so worked up?”

His hand shot out towards her face. Rin jerked her head out of the way just in time. She drew her hand back, clenched it into a tight fist and punched him right in the stomach- or would have if Bunbee’s other hand hadn’t caught her fist.

“Hold on!” he brought his other hand back. “I wasn’t aiming for you!”

In his hand there was a large, disgusting looking insect. It looked a lot like some of the others Rin had seen from the bus. It was hideous- but judging from the smear where it’s head would be it was also very very dead. Bunbee let go of her hand. 

“You’ve been seeing these things around?” he asked, wiping his hand off on his bluejeans. It left a pea-soup colored smudge on them that Rin doubted would ever wash off. 

“Well, yeah, they’re freaking everywhere," Rin said. “So what?”

“Do you know what they mean?” Bunbee asked.

While the man usually had a half-joking (or at least incredibly smug and self-assured) attitude, he seemed deadly serious. Rin glanced at his face.

“…No," she said, guardedly.

“They’re not from here," Bunbee said.

“Obviously," Rin said, “That thing looks like it escaped from the insect house at the zoo.”

“It’s more like the escaped from another world," Bunbee said. As he spoke the body crumpled into dust. “They shouldn’t be here.”

“Why does that matter? They’re ugly as crap but they don’t seem to be bothering anyone," Rin said. “Who cares if they came from another world?”

“Normal people can’t see them," Bunbee said. “And it’s not that, they’re just a symptom. They mean that something is seriously wrong in this city.”

“What?”

“Someone’s trying to open a door that they shouldn’t. And before you ask- no, I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Really? Because that sounds exactly like what you spent the last year and a half doing," Rin crossed her arms.

“There’s a difference between trying to capture the guardian of a rose garden- which I wasn’t on board with, by the way! They told me it was a cataloging job- and trying to tear a hole between here and hell!” Bunbee snapped.

“Hell?” Rin backed away. “Those things are from _hell_?”

“Kind of. Sort of. Not really but-“ Bunbee sighed. “Look, it’s a place where a lot of really scary really strong demons live. And while I’m pretty sure you six could beat them, a lot of people would die before that happened.”

Rin clenched her fists and looked down at the ground. This didn’t seem fair. They had just, _just_ beaten Eternal, didn’t they deserve a break? She didn’t think she was up to another round of this. Tears threatened to prick at her eyes.

“Ah- h-hey! Calm down!” Bunbee waved his arms, “It’s okay! There’s all kinds of measures to make sure that doesn’t happen! As long as the barrier remains intact we’ll be fine- nobody has that kind of power. That’s not why I’m worried, anyway. My point is that if someone has the power to open up a hole like that-“

“-they probably have the power to make a Hoshina or two. Got it," Rin sighed. “Alright, I’ll help you look. Where did you lose these things?”

“At a café not far from here- but that’s not going to be a problem!” Bunbee said. “I saw who took them, I just lost the bastard around here!”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a school kid, looks like all the other school kids! Stupid hair, stupid uniform- I lost him in a crowd of other kids.”

“So how the hell am I supposed to-“

She was interrupted by the ground shaking. She pitched forward, arms cartwheeling desperately and just about managed to catch her footing when a familiar cry broke the summer air.

“ _HOSHINAAAA!!!_ ”

And then she saw it, rising over the panicking crowd like an iceberg. It had possessed one of those demon bugs - because her day just hadn’t been special enough- but there was something off about this one. Something about that cry seemed familiar…

And then the bulbous eye-covered head contorted horrifically and grew a long, pointed nose . The eyes on either side of the nose suddenly seemed to grow eye-shadow like markings. The torso of the creature turned into a slick black substance, like an oil spill given shape by plastic wrap. And then a disused part of her brain clicked the synapses together.

“ _YOU HAD KOWAINA MASKS IN THERE TOO?_ ” she shrieked.

“ONE! I HAD _ONE MASK!_ AND THOSE WERE VERY VERY DEAD!”

“ _CLEARLY!_ ” Rin screeched, waving at the monstrosity taking flight above the terrified crowd. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?”

“ _KOSHINAAAAA!_ ” the abomination shrieked.

“IS THIS REALLY THE TIME?” Bunbee snapped. “Look, I’ll… I’ll distract it, you kill it!”

“I don’t even know if I have the same powers anymore!” Rin said. “I don’t know if I’ll be _able_ to kill it!”

There was another crash. Something that looked like a long spear of the black oily stuff had smashed into the concrete. Rin’s eyes locked onto a small figure being thrown into the air by the blast.

And then she was running. She hadn’t even fully processed that the figure was a child, or they were about Yu and Ai’s age- she was just running towards them. Her legs were pumping before anything else had crossed her mind.. 

Her arms latched around the small form of the child- her momentum carrying them both out of the way of the slick black projectile as it smashed into the ground.  
Rin jerked her body around, positioning her torso between the concrete and the kid. She felt the ground hit her back, but thankfully nothing else. She was alive. 

The kid was crying. 

"Are you okay?" she asked, her aching back suddenly the furthest thing from her mind. 

The little boy sniffed and nodded. He looked scared and not at all sure of what was going on, but he was alive. 

She smiled. 

"That's goo-" 

" _KOSHIINAAAAA! ___"

A second leg started crashing towards them. Rin clutched the boy and tried to roll out of the way, but she knew she would never be able to move fast enough. She waited for the pain to hit. 

__SSSSSSTHUNK!_ _

There was a sound like metal on metal. She looked up. 

The leg was pinned to the wall above her head by a long metallic spear of some kind. 

"Natsuki!" Bunbee dashed over to them. "Natsuki! Are you alright?" 

He had transformed. He had transformed, in the middle of a crowded street. He had transformed in the middle of a crowded street and WAS TALKING TO HER. 

__Now someone was going to die._ _

"Hornet man?" the little boy said. 

Bunbee looked at Rin, then at the kid. Rin opened her mouth. Rin shut her mouth. 

"Y-yeah!" Rin said, "It's Hornet Man! _Right!?_ " 

She aimed her best Big Sister glare at Bunbee, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed. 

"But aren't you a bad guy, Hornet Man?" the little boy asked, rubbing his face. 

"I... Uh.... I turned over a new leaf," Bunbee said. 

"That's right, Hornet Man's a good guy now!" Rin shoved the boy at Bunbee. "Why don't you go with Hornet Man somewhere safe?" 

"Hey, what the hell-?" Bunbee sputtered indignantly as the sniffling toddler was pushed into his arms. "Why can't you do-?" 

"Because someone has to stop this thing!" Rin snapped. "Now go! And you owe me for this!" 

As Rin watched as the bug-man and the boy whose life she'd just saved ran away with the rapidly thinning crowd, she realized she wanted nothing more than to go with them. Let someone, anyone else deal with this shit for once. But she had to stay here, to run towards the giant shrieking abomination and hope that she could kill it. 

She looked down at the curemo hanging off of her neck. It swung slightly in the breeze and with her motion. 

It looked _so_ innocent. 

_" _KOSHIIINAAAA!_ " _

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" she snapped. "God!" 

The street was deserted now anyway. She pulled the object off of her phone and held it in the air. Fuck it. 

"Pretty cure! Metamorphoses!" 

The usual fiery rush covered her body, burning away her civilian clothes and replacing them with the red uniform of the Cure of Passion. 

Cure Rouge cracked her knuckles. 

"Here goes nothing," 

\---- 

There was smoke, and screaming, and for once none of Kurama’s friends were involved. In fact, suspect number one was right next to him and looking at the commotion. Hiei looked just as surprised as the rest of them, so that was probably a pretty good indication he hadn’t done it. He’d have been smirking if he’d done it. 

“Crap.” 

Yusuke was never exactly one for words, but Kurama felt that he had summed this one up nicely. 

There were four teenage boys standing on the balcony of the Urameshi apartment. The plan had been to hang out and play a new videogame that Kurama would NOT shut up about and maybe grab some take out. It wasn’t the most ambitious of plans, but after nearly dying to four self-proclaimed gods, they were all ready for a little down time. Botan and Keiko were supposed to be joining them (if only so they had extra eyes to make sure Hiei didn’t try to bolt or kill Kuwabara), but Botan had official business to tend to and Keiko had begged off to help her father with the store. They had just been ready to start the game when several loud noises brought them out to the balcony. So now all of them were staring at the huge ball of dust coming from the shopping district with varying ranges of concern. 

“I have no idea what is happening,” Kuwabara said, “but shouldn’t we be doing something?” 

“What? Why?” Kurama looked at him. “For all we know that’s a bomb.” 

It sounded callous, no two ways about it, but Kurama knew that they’d probably be more hindrance than help if it was a terrorist attack. Besides, these days there were always cameras around and he didn’t feel like exposing himself to the media. His mother would have a few choice questions for him. 

His mother. Kurama quickly tried to remember where she was before the fact she was out of town on a vacation surfaced in his mind. He breathed a sigh of relief.  
Ever since he’d been reborn as a human, he’d somehow grown both a conscience and a concern for the well-being of certain people. He doubted that he’d ever be hailed as a humanitarian, but it was a vast difference from the cut-throat being he used to be. 

As much as he’d changed, however, he was still a very pragmatic sort in his heart of hearts. If no one he knew was in danger and it was a threat the human authorities could take care of, he didn’t really see the need to risk either his friends or his own well-being to stop it. 

An image of the cute red-haired girl from earlier in the day flashed in front of his mind, seemingly unbidden. Kurama shook his head and scowled. She probably wasn’t anywhere near it, and even if she was there was little chance of finding her. He didn’t even know her name… 

“Not a bomb," Hiei muttered, shaking Kurama out of his introspection. “No explosion.” 

A fair point. There were crashes, screams the sound of concrete breaking and something that sounded like giant wings flapping, but no actual explosions. He doubted that Yusuke or Kuwabara could hear it (hell, his own enhanced ears could barely make most of it out). 

“Okay, but that still doesn’t make us responsible for it," Kurama said. “I mean, Koenma’s probably got people for this-“ 

He had no sooner spoken the words when a blast of wind threatened to knock him onto the floor. A very disheveled and incredibly stressed Botan appeared in front of the balcony. Her hair was practically blown out of her ponytail and she had a death grip on her oar. She was riding the thing like a jockey instead of her usual sidesaddle, her body practically parallel to the shaft. 

“Gah!” Kuwabara jumped back, almost bumping into Hiei in the process. Thankfully the short Yokai merely sidestepped, his attention too occupied by the mystery commotion to start picking a fight. “Botan, the hell!?” 

“BIG! BIG BAD!” Botan flailed her arm widely at the explosion. 

“Breathe, Botan!” Yusuke said. “What’s happening?” 

“Bugs!” Botan gasped. “Bugs in city!” 

“Makai bugs?” Kurama asked. 

“Worse," Botan said. 

“Worse how?” Yusuke asked. 

“Hell bugs," Botan said. “Big hell bugs. You!“ she pointed wildly to Yusuke. “Go get monster!” 

The red-head girls face rose up again, much more clearly this time. Well, that settled it. If it was a monster, he couldn’t afford to ignore it- his parole conditions from Koenma aside. He tied his hair back, not wanting it to get in the way during the inevitable mad dash across town. 

“What are hell bugs?” Kuwabara asked. 

“They’re insects that live in the demon world," Kurama said, fixing the ponytail in place with a thorny vine. “Sometimes there’s a small hole in the barrier that they  
slip through. They’re mostly harmless.” 

A bolt of fire arched its way across the skyline. Yusuke grinned demonically and cracked his neck. The human’s bloodlust sometimes matched Hiei’s, which was a thought Kurama didn’t like dwelling on. 

“That’s my cue!” he said. 

“Hey, no way I’m letting you get all the glory!” Kuwabara snapped. 

“I’m bored," Hiei shrugged. 

“Lead on, Botan," Kurama sighed. 

\--- 

Cure Rouge had spent the last couple of minutes dodging spear like insect legs, shooting round after round of Fire Strikes at the monster and plotting increasingly horrific ways to murder Bunbee. 

“First!” she screamed, landing a roundhouse kick on the leg that had just tried to skewer her, “I am going to rip off your wings!” 

The leg shook like a bowl full of jelly, but otherwise the damn thing didn’t react. Rouge gritted her teeth and kicked again, flame coating her foot. She was rewarded with a shriek of pain from the monster and a partially severed leg. 

“YES!” She screeched, pumping her fist. “TAKE THAT YOU- UGH!” 

She was so busy gloating that she didn’t notice the leg that crashed into her back. Rouge was knocked into the air, the wind out of her lungs. She sucked in a deep breath and twisted in mid air, slamming to a halt on the side of a building. She sucked in another breath and kicked off, both hands clenched into fists. She slammed her right fist into the side of the monster, sending a shockwave through the oil-slick body. 

“THEN!” She howled, rabbit punching the thing as hard as she could. Flames licked at the gelatinous body and the creature thrashed in pain. “I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU EAT THEM!” 

“ _KOSHIIINAAAA!_ ” 

A stinger as long as she was rocketed towards her. Rogue gathered her feet underneath her and kicked off, narrowly avoiding getting killed. 

She wasn’t, however, fast enough to avoid smashing headfirst into the rock she was hurtling towards. 

Rouge brought her hands up in front of her face and braced for impact. This, she thought, was why fate had put her with a team. Her first solo battle in ages and she was already looking at a concussion. 

Something wrapped around her waist and pulled- hard enough that she was sure she was going to break in half. 

“Woah!” 

She felt herself being pulled up, popping above the skyline like a cork out of a bottle. Her head was spinning and her ribs were aching, but her skull was in one piece so she took it. She got her feet under her with a flip and almost fell of the side of the building again as she found there wasn’t really enough roof to do so. 

“Easy there!” 

Two arms grabbed her waist and steadied her. Rouge sucked in a deep breath, confused but happy that her brains weren’t splattered against a piece of concrete. It was going to take a few seconds to process what had just happened. She started with a few deep breaths. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Fine," Rogue said, turning to look at her savior, “Thanks for the assist.” 

It was the drop-dead gorgeous red headed green eyed angel from earlier. Rouge was suddenly glad that he couldn’t recognize her like this. One awkward meeting with a red-head hottie was enough for a day. All she had to do was not be a total spaz and it would be fine. 

“Sorry I couldn’t be more gentle," the boy said, guiding her away from the edge. A long green vine was winding out of his sleeve and around her waist. 

“I’ll take a few bruises over a cracked skull," Rouge said, desperately trying to keep herself from blushing. “Um…” she gave the vine a gentle tug, unsure if he could feel it or not. 

“Oh! Right, sorry," the vine snaked its way back up her sleeve. “I’m Kurama.” 

“Kurama," The name felt like chocolate on her tongue. “I’m Rrr-Rouge. Cure Rouge.” 

“I’ve heard about you!” Kurama said, recognition dawning on his face. Good lord, it couldn’t be legal to be this hot. “Don’t you usually stick around Cinq Lumiere?” 

He said the name professionally, like he spoke French. Rouge smiled and tried not to seem like she was flushing. She was, but god damn it she had been given a second chance at a first impression and she wasn’t going to waste it. 

“That’s right!” she said, grinning. “I didn’t think anyone would recognize us.” 

Her statement, on some level, deeply confused him. He knew what she meant, certainly- the videos were usually quite low quality and faces were hard to make out when the person moved as quickly as the Cures did. But standing here, barely two feet away from her, he wasn’t sure how anyone could not know her. It wasn’t even the outfit- her baring and energy were unmistakable. He’d never even see another human (if that’s what she was) like her. 

She was smiling at him as if she expected an answer. He quickly tried to think of a suitable response. 

“My friend has a hobby of watching MMA fights. Armature videos of your fights get included in the ‘like videos’ a lot- he especially enjoys the one in the amphitheater. You and your friends are very impressive.” 

Kurama suddenly found himself wishing that he had watched more of the fights Kuwabara had sent him. He’d given the other teenager his number in case of emergencies, but Kuwabara now sent him every halfway decent fight he could find. Kurama ignored most of them- truth be told he had only watched the amphitheater fight because he’d clicked on the link accidentally. 

“Well thank you," Rouge said, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. 

Good lord, was he blushing? He had better not be blushing- he’d never blushed in his life! And furthermore, to think that she could make him do that by just rearranging her hair was a deeply disturbing thought. A distraction, he needed a- 

_“REI-KEN!”_

Kuwabara’s gravelly voice cut through Kurama’s introspection. The long orange blade of energy had severed one of the legs, knocking the creature off balance slightly and distracting the both of them from their awkward (but not unwelcome) conversation. He breathed a small sigh of relief. 

_“REI-GUN!”_

A blast of blue light smashed into the Koshina abomination’s midsection- sending it crashing into the side of a building and distracting Rouge momentarily. A boy with black hair in a green gakuran outfit lowered his hand and dashed forward. Rouge only barely noticed him- Kurama was very much holding her attention.  
Good God he was pretty. Clever, too. And he thought she was talented- something that she wasn’t used too. If she lived through this she somehow had to talk to him again. 

“I have to say, you’re friends aren’t to shabby either,” Rouge said, waving one hand at the melee below.” 

"They have their moments," Kurama agreed, not even sparing a glance at the commotion below. 

“I should probably get down there," Rouge said. 

“Yes! Yes, we should probably get down there," Kurama laughed, only slightly uncomfortably. “Would you like a lift?” 

The green vine shot out of his jacket sleeve and fashioned itself around the building across from them. He turned to look at her, his red hair catching the breeze, and Rouge had to really, really fight the urge to let him literally sweep her off her feet. 

_“KOSHIIINAAAAAA!”_

“Hold that thought?” Rouge asked, giving him her biggest smile. 

She bolted towards the side of the building and leapt into mid air. 

_“PRETTY CURE!”_ she screamed, crossing her arms over her chest, _“FIRE STRIKE!”_

A volley of fireballs the size of motorcycles hurled themselves at the thing’s head. A tall boy with red hair yelped and narrowly managed to dodge one of them. The monster shrieked and took to the air, it’s wings vibrating quickly. It didn’t seem to realize that it was heading right towards her. 

Rouge grit her teeth, somersaulted in mid air and brought her leg down as hard as she could at the base of its wing. There was a sickening _krrraack!_ sound accompanied by a _splorch!_ and the creature smashed into the pavement below. 

Up on the rooftop, Kurama stared at the red-headed cure with an expression that was somewhere between fear and infatuation. He’d seen female fighters before- even respected a few of them, but something about the way Cure Rouge moved (and looked, and spoke, and brushed her hair behind her ear) brought up an entirely alien set of feelings. 

“Are you going to be standing up here for the entirety of the fight?” A familiar voice said from behind him. 

“What?” Kurama jolted himself out of his reverie, “Right! The fight! Okay! ROSE WHIP!” 

He swung down from the roof top like a Japanese Tarzan, landing somewhat gracefully on the ground next to the thrashing creature. Hiei appeared next to him, his blade not even drawn. 

“You’re acting weird," Hiei said. 

Weird? He was not acting weird- this was how he always acted. It was just he was fairly certain he was experiencing attraction for the first time in his life, and parts of his brain and heart that he was pretty sure had atrophied from disuse were now making up for lost time (from two lifetimes, mind you) by turning his calm level-headed demeanor into a sweaty hormonal mess. He had been (largely) human for almost 16 years, but he had never really felt like one before today. Awkward, unsure and so, so stupid. 

Good god, is this how Kuwabara felt _all the time?_ How was he not dead? 

“No I’m not!” Kurama snapped, lashing a leg to a nearby light pole. “I’m fine!” 

A giant black leg crashed to the ground in front of them. Hiei slowly put his blade back into his scabbard. 

“I… might be a little distracted," Kurama amended. 

_“FIRE STRIKE!”_

Kurama’s eyes flickered to Rouge seemingly of their own accord. Fire was flickering around her hands, her face a mask of singular concentration. She had blasted off the thing’s other wing and seemed to be aiming for one of the leg joints. She caught him looking at her, flashing him a confident grin that made him feel like he was on glorious fire. He smiled back in what he had to assume was the dorkiest way possible. 

Make that very distracted. 

Hiei grunted and casually dodged a blow from one of the other legs. 

“I’m not going to spend the rest of this fight watching your back," Hiei said. 

“I’ll be _fine,_ thank you," Kurama said. 

Another leg crashed to the ground. Bits of yellow-orange energy were licking at the cut line. 

“Hey, Kurama!” Kuwabara snapped, “Get your head in the game!” 

“The village idiot just saved you," Hiei said, his voice utterly bored. 

Kurama resisted the urge to groan. He’d be hearing about this for months. 

Another spear-like leg crashed to the earth just in front of Kuwabara. The thing seemed to be growing them as it needed. There was a howl like a cougar caught in a trap and Rouge slammed into the top of the leg, burying it deep into the asphalt. Suddenly the rest of the world seemed to shift back into focus. 

“Okay!” Rouge said, “So, I guess I didn’t need help down, but you know what would be awesome?” 

“ROSE WHIP!” 

Kurama grabbed Rouge’s arm and swung her around behind his back. Thorny vines lashed themselves around the leg that had been hurtling towards her exposed back, suspending the appendage in midair. 

“Besides that?” Rouge gaped at the sight, “You are really good at this knight in shining armor thing, aren’t you?” 

Only when she was looking, apparently. 

“Hey, you’re one of those precure chicks!” Kuwabara said. 

“ _Pretty cure,_ yes," Rouge corrected. “Cure Rouge.” 

“You guys are awesome!” Kuwabara grabbed her hand and pumped it, “Kazuma Kuwabara. Can I get your autograph?” 

“CAN I GET SOME HELP HERE?” Yusuke screamed, firing a volley of blue shots at the monster. 

“HEY, URAMESHI!” Kuwabara pointed at the obviously uncomfortable Cure Rouge, “CHECK IT OUT! SHE’S A PRETTY CURE!” 

“GREAT!” Yusuke threw his hands in the air, “CAN SHE HELP US KILL THIS THING?” 

“FIRE STRIKE!” 

Four fireballs smashed into the underside of the monster. Yusuke followed it up with a burst of blue light. 

“THANKS!” 

“NO PROBLEM!” Rouge called back. She yanked her hand out of Kuwabara’s over enthusiastic grasp. “So, anyway, before we get killed-“ she said, turning back to Kurama. 

“Yes?” Kurama asked, turning towards her. 

“Can I get your number?” 

“What?” Kurama blinked, obviously surprised. 

“Give the lady the number, Kurama," Kuwabara said, suddenly very serious. 

“I mean, you know, if you want," Rouge said. 

“She’s a _Pretty Cure_ ," Kuwabara said, giving Kurama a very pointed stare. 

“Y-yes!” Kurama said, “Absolutely!” 

“ _KOSHIIINAAA!_ ” 

“LITTLE HELP?” Yusuke had grabbed one of the legs right before it managed to run through his chest. 

“Right after we kill this thing?” Kurama asked. 

“It’s a date," Rouge grinned. “Aim for the head! That’s their weak spot!” 

“You heard the Pretty Cure!” Kuwabara said, two glowing energy swords appearing in his hands, “Aim for the head!” 

Kurama, Kuwabara and Rouge all dashed forward, leaving a very apathetic Hiei behind them. 

Even if the thing couldn’t fly, it was intent on making their lives as difficult as possible. It scuttled around as fast it could with two legs nailed down. The tail jerked out, extending into a long scorpion-like appendage and aimed a stinger the size of a small truck at Hiei. He dodged it without looking. 

Kuwabara cut the leg that was pinning Yusuke down. Yusuke threw the remains to the street and dashed forward, his fists glowing bright blue. 

_“REI-PUNCH!”_

He slammed his fists into thing’s underbelly in rapid succession, stunning it. Kuwabara kept hacking at the legs, keeping the thing as off balance as he could. Kurama lashed as many of the legs down as he could. Rouge went for the head. 

She felt like she was on fire in the best way possible. She met a cute guy, and he wanted to give her his number. He thought she was awesome. He had touched her three times. 

Energy welled up in her chest and spread down her hands, leaving them tingling in it’s wake. 

“ _PRETTY CURE!_ ” She threw her arms apart like she was attempting to go super saiyan, “ _FLAME BARRAGE!_ ” 

Dozens of fireballs pelted the creature's head, each of them exploding into a shower of butterfly-shaped sparks where they hit. The mask trembled and shook and finally, finally, pushed itself off of the black oily body. 

“ _KOSHIIIINAAAAA!!!_ ” 

With a final mournful cry, the monster dissolved into light. A mask and a hoshina seed clattered to the ground before they dissolved into dust. 

As always, the street began to repair itself as soon as the thing was dead. Rouge was never sure if that was a restorative effect from the Pretty Cure powers or if it was just that the monsters didn’t have the ability to wreak lasting havoc on the environment. Either way it was nice to not have to worry about collateral damage. It did seem to be moving a bit slower than usual- so maybe it was something the Five Lights or the Red Rose did. 

The boys and Kurama were standing around, watching the effects with interest. Apparently they weren’t used to something cleaning up after them. 

“This is pretty sweet," Yusuke said, watching a street lamp knit itself back together. 

“It really is," Rouge said. “Thanks for showing up, by the way. I’m pretty sure I would have died on my own," 

“Hey, that’s what I do," Yusuke said, putting his hands behind his head. 

“How the hell did this happen, anyway?” Kuwabara asked. 

“A really enormous series of coincidences," Rouge groaned. “It’s not going to happen again- at least if I have anything to say about it," 

“Good," Hiei said flatly. 

Rouge and Kurama were staring at each other awkwardly, neither of them seemed to be willing to make the first move. 

“Welp!” Yusuke stretched out, “I’d better go tell Botan she can unwad her panties. Nice to meet ya, Rouge.” 

“Nice to meet you too," Rouge said, her eyes still fixed on Kurama. 

“I’m leaving," Hiei said, walking after Yusuke. 

“Okay," Kurama said, his voice distant. 

“So was that a new power?” Kuwabara asked, “I mean, you never used it in any of the videos be- HEY!” 

Hiei and Yusuke each hooked a hand through Kuwabara’s arm and unceremoniously dragged him away from Rouge and Kurama. 

“Let me go, Urameshi!” Kuwabara snapped, trying to pull his arm away. 

“Read the room, man," Yusuke said. 

“Moron," Hiei muttered. 

Kurama and Rouge were left alone on the healing street. For a long moment, they just stared at each other, each of them with an enormous dopey grin on their faces. Kurama was the first to snap out of it. 

“So, um, my number!” Kurama dug a pen out of his pockets. 

“Right!” Rouge shook her head. 

“Do you have any paper?” Kurama asked. 

“Uh-“ Rouge patted her dress down. Miraculously, there was a wadded up piece of paper in a pocket she didn’t know existed. “-Yes!” 

She was so elated that she didn’t notice until too late that it was the crumpled map from earlier. The one that Kurama had handed back to her after she crashed into him. As Rin. 

It still smelled like roses. 

Kurama stared at the paper for a long moment. His expression was unreadable. Rouge wasn’t sure if she should be scared or embarrassed. He knew what she really looked like- when she wasn’t the amazing Cure Rouge. 

Kurama scribbled something down on the piece of paper and handed it back to her. 

“Here you go," He said, smiling. “I’ll be expecting a call by the end of the week.” 

“Okay," Rouge said, relief washing over her. He didn’t notice. Thank god, he didn’t notice. 

“I should get going," Kurama said, “If I leave Hiei alone for too long he tends to get bored.” 

“I’ve got some errands to run too," Rouge said, “I’ll… um, I’ll call you later?” 

“I’ll be waiting," He said, smiling. 

\--- 

The rest of Rin’s Sunday was spent tracking both the shipment and Bunbee down. The shipment she tracked down because she had to, and Bunbee because he was going to be doing a LOT of favors for her for the foreseeable future. She had just enough time to drop the beads off at Natts House and get Bunbee to drive her home before her curfew. 

The following week was insane. Her parents decided that this was the opportune time to have a sale and she spent the next three days rushing around, arranging bouquets and making sure Yu and Ai weren’t getting underfoot of the customers. Her friends popped in sporadically to help, which was nice, but having to repeatedly teach Urara how the cash register worked wasn’t. Thursday and Friday had been spent walking beating her head against the wall trying to get hersiblings to finish their summer homework. Saturday was spent helping Urara and Nozomi proofread their projects while they proofread hers. When Sunday finally dawned, she was exhausted and grouchy and she really just wanted to spend a quiet day designing accessories and shooting the breeze with her friends. 

And that’s how Sunday mostly went- until about 3:00 in the afternoon when Kurumi and Syrup got into a fight. Rin only knew about this because their screaming was loud enough to hear from the second floor, where she was half-watching the sales-floor with Natts. 

“Rin?” Natts asked, a pleading tone in his voice. 

“Not on your life," She said sullenly. 

“Can you at least watch the front?” Nats asked. 

There was a crash from upstairs. Nozomi’s voice was now joining in on the screaming, along with very spirited ‘Rapus’ and ‘Cocos’ every so often. Rin visibly winced at the commotion. 

“Yeah, okay," she said, “Before something catches fire.” 

Natts ran to the stairs faster than she’d ever seen him move. Rin kept messing with a design for a new bracelet, shaped like a rose with a thorny (but not prickly) band. There was no one on the sales floor at the moment, and she’d be damned if she was moving from here without a good reason. 

No sooner had she thought that then the front door’s bell rang. Rin groaned inwardly and set her sketchpad down. 

“Be there in a second!” She called. 

The customer didn’t answer, which was fine. Half the time they didn’t talk unless they wanted to know about a particular item. Still, it was probably better she was down there watching in case someone thought it’d be funny to steal something. Natts had been this close to siccing the royal guard (re: her and her friends) on the last shoplifter. 

“We’re having a special on couples bracelet sets," she said, walking down the stairs. “Buy one get one free.” 

“So this is where you work?” 

Rin froze with her foot hand on the knob. Standing at the front door, a gorgeous smile on his face, was Kurama. 

“You didn’t call," he said by way of explanation. 

“T-there was a sale and then my siblings didn’t do their homework and it took two days to get them to do 20 math problems, and then I just wanted to-“ she took a deep breath, “-how did you find this place?” 

It seemed pointless to ask how he knew it was her. He was smart, after all, and handing him the same piece of paper twice was certainly a tip off. Besides, considering the company he kept she wasn’t overly worried about her identity being spread around. 

“The address was on the paper you gave me," Kurama said. “I memorized it, just in case.” 

“I really was going to call," Rin said, “I swear, it’s just I started to lose my nerve and-“ 

_CRASH!_

_“SYRUP-MIRU!”_

“Kurumi _no!_ ” Karen was getting in on the fun now. 

_“ _Put the knife down-coco!_ ” _

“Do I want to know?” Kurama asked, looking up at the ceiling. 

“Probably not," Rin gave him a smile. “So, my name’s Rin. Rin Natsuki.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rin,” Kurama said. “So what is this place?” 

“This is Natts House, an accessory shop," Rin said, stepping down onto the floor. “We sell stuff like photo frames, jewelry boxes-“ 

“-Couple’s bracelets?” Kurama asked. 

Was his smile actually making her go weak in the knees? Was that _really_ possible? 

“I actually designed those," Rin said, a smile spreading over her face. 

“Really?” Kurama picked one up and turned it over in his hand. “These are professional quality- I’m impressed.” 

“Thank you," Rin beamed, “but I’m sure you’re just saying that.” 

“Trust me, I’m not," Kurama said. “These are beautiful. What makes them a couple’s bracelet?” 

“You buy a matching set, and you don’t take them off for a year," Rin said, slipping a purple and red one over his wrist, “If neither breaks, then your love will last  
forever.” 

“RIN!” Urara’s panicked voice followed her down the stairs. “We need you to pry Karen off of- oh!” She stopped at the door. “Um, hello!” 

“Hello," Kurama said amicably. 

“Hi," Urara repeated, her enormous golden-brown eyes carefully taking in the scene of Rin putting one half of a couple’s bracelet on a very good looking guy. 

“Did you need something, Urara?” Rin asked, the words coming out through clenched teeth. 

“Oh, um, no!” Urara said, backing away. “I think we’ve got it-“ 

_WHOOOMPH!_

“-under control!” Urara didn’t miss a beat. “The contractors are just having a little trouble with some of the pipes upstairs. Shouldn’t affect you down here, though! You just keep showing him around!” 

She shut the door behind her. It was times like this that Rin really appreciated having an actress as a friend. Kurama waited until they could hear her frantic footsteps on the stairs before he said anything. 

“Was that Urara Kasugano?” He asked. 

“Yep.” 

“My mother’s a big fan of hers," He said, “I should probably try to get an autograph.” 

“Hey, bring her by next time, she can get a personal meeting," Rin said, smiling. 

“WILL YOU GUYS CUT IT OUT? RIN HAS A TOTAL HOTTIE DOWNSTAIRS AND YOU’RE FREAKING HIM OUT!” Urara bellowed. 

Rin put her face in her hands and let out a long, low groan. It was probably a good thing that he already knew about her alter ego, because she wasn’t sure she could ever have explained this away. 

“I’m starting to see why you didn’t call," Kurama said. 

“Did you know in English they call mental institutions a ‘nut house’?” Rin said, her head still in her hands. “Believe me, the name over the door is very fitting.” 

“Well, the good news is that I don’t think any of them try to pick fights when they’re bored," Kurama said. 

“You haven’t met Kurumi yet," Rin said darkly. 

“You haven’t gotten to know Hiei," Kurama countered. 

She smiled a bit at that. She’d somehow forgotten the world he came from was just as bizarre as her own. 

“Well,” she said, “The good news is that my life doesn’t get much stranger than this.” 

“MAILPO NO! BAD THINGY!” Nozomi shrieked. 

“I wish I could say the same," Kurama joked. “My life is pretty bizarre," 

“Four of my friends turn into living stuffed animal-things. One of them also turns into a giant bird that can fly between worlds.” 

“My best friend is a wanted criminal in the demon world," Kurama said. “My other friends are either a spirit detective or a gang leader than can make light sabers.” 

“I’m a chosen warrior for a kingdom of talking animals," Rin said. 

“I was a kitsune thief in my past life," Kurama said. 

“Really?” 

“Long story," he said, smiling. “Satisfied?” 

“That I’m not _immediately_ going to scare you off?” Rin smiled. “Somewhat. I’ll wait until after you meet my friends.” 

_POW!_

“Does that have to be right now?” Kurama asked. 

“ _HOW? JUST HOW!?_ ” Karen screamed. 

“No," Rin said. “No it does not. Are you hungry?” 

“Starving," Kurama said. 

“I know a great place not too far from here," Rin said. “My treat?” 

“ _YOU WERE JUST BOILING WATER!_ ” Karen’s voice was taking on a desperate, pleading edge- like she was begging the universe to start making sense again (or at least stop catching on fire). 

“What about the shop?” Kurama asked. 

“I’ll lock up on my way out," Rin walked over to the counter to find the spare keys, “I don’t think we should be letting people in until they fix this anyway.” 

“Probably a good idea," Kurama said. “Oh! How much for the bracelets?” 

Rin looked up from her rummaging to see him holding the matching bracelet to the one still on his wrist. He was smiling at her, and yes, somehow that was making her go weak at the knees. 

“You know what?” She said, pulling the butterfly key chain out of the mess it was tangled in, “For still being interested in me after all this, it’s free.” 

“Well then _I_ am going to have to pay for lunch," Kurama said. 

“Oh come on-“ Rin said, walking towards the door. 

“I insist," Kurama said, slipping the matching bracelet over Rin’s wrist. “For still being interested in me.” 

His fingers were just barely brushing her skin, but she could trace their exact trajectory. He was staring into her eyes so intently she was sure that the world had just  
vanished around them. 

_POPOPOPOPOPOP!_

“We should go," She said, not taking her eyes off of him. 

“That sounds like an excellent idea," Kurama said. 

Rin flipped the sign around to read ‘closed’, carefully locked the door behind them, and together they walked out into the late summer evening. 

Best. Sunday. Ever. 


End file.
